Get ready for some serious girl talk, because this month, you won't be able to avoid it. The documentary about heroic young Malala comes out this weekend, Tuesday is international girls day, and October is breast cancer awareness month. So one way or another, girl talk will be all over the news and your social media feeds.
Now here's your warning -- you are going to experience some serious cognitive dissonance this month.
If your Facebook or Twitter feed is anything like mine, you're going to be seeing news about DNA repair, lab grown kidneys and the future of digicuticals directly above posts about FGM, child marriage and inequality in education. And you're going to wonder how it is possible that you are reading about female American presidential candidates right next to stories about how little girls around the world are denied the most basic rights.
It doesn't make sense. It shouldn't. We should not be ok with this.
But it's a big topic, right? We know we can do better for our children.
So here's my recommendation. This year, instead of just liking a Facebook post, or sharing a news article, let's do more.
Before you tweet that you stand #withMalala, find a child in your own life, and talk to them about the disparities. Tell them what it is like to be a child in another part of the world. Then ask them what they want to do about it.
We need the current generation of highly-connected digital natives to own this issue now. This cohort of kids has a powerful voice and they are ready to use it to help one another.
And if you want to do more and don't know where to start, help the child in your life sponsor a child their age through World Vision, so they can exchange letters and photos. Or support groups like the Invisible Girl project, Desert Flower, Black Girls Code or, of course, the Malala Fund.
It's not ok to live in a world with such staggering disparities while we have the technology, the will, and a powerfully connected generation of youth ready and able to make a difference for their peers globally.
If we can make pioneering innovations in exploring space and growing organs, the we have it in our ability to give our children access to safety, nutrition, and education. That's the world I want.
Now, finally, here's the tweet -- I am not a lone voice. I stand #withMalala -- We can make a difference together! Are you with me?